ABSTRACT: Metabolic Tissue Function Core The purpose of the Metabolic Tissue Function Core is to improve the efficiency of diabetes-related research through provision of expertise, equipment, and services that optimize the investigational capacity of Diabetes Research Center (DRC) members. The Core facilitates acquisition of high quality rodent and human islets and assists investigators in developing induced pluripotent stem cells. In addition, the Core provides services for the functional analyses of islets and other metabolic tissues relevant to the pathogenesis of diabetes and its complications. These functional studies include hormone secretion assays, assessment of ?-cell mass, quantification of metabolism, and assessment of endoplasmic reticulum stress and oxidative stress pathways. The expertise and state-of-the-art equipment provided by the Core improve the efficiency of research focused on improving the diagnosis, treatment and cure of diabetes.